Breaking down by the side of the road can be a scary experience. If you find yourself in a situation where you have broken down and need our help, give us a call and our friendly operators will dispatch a tow truck out to you as soon as possible. While you wait, we have put together a list of 10 things you can do to help keep yourself safe while waiting for roadside assistance or our towing service in Evansville IN.
1) Where your car is driveable, move it off the main road or into a lay-by or shoulder where possible. If you can’t drive it but it is safe to exit your vehicle, you may want to try to push your car off the road into the shoulder. Only attempt this if you have suitable assistance and if it won’t put either you or anyone else in the path of danger from approaching traffic.
2) If you have an emergency kit with fluorescent triangle or flares etc, put these out, where safe to do so, spaced at intervals behind your vehicle. These give approaching vehicles early warning of the hazard of your vehicle so they have more time to slow and avoid you.
812-461-16043) Put on your hazard lights as soon as you begin to experience mechanical difficulties and pull to the side of the road. This alerts other vehicles to the fact that your vehicle may respond slightly erratically and may be travelling very slowly as you pull off the road. Leave your hazard lights on while you wait for your tow truck or roadside assistance. This means that your vehicle is more visible to any traffic on the road and shows very clearly that you are incapacitated and won’t be moving as they’d expect a car to be.
4) Don’t accept a lift from a stranger. As tempting as it may be to accept a lift from a seemingly kind passer-by offering to get you off the road and safely home, this is a potentially very risky lift to accept. Don’t allow your normal judgement to be compromised by your situation. Politely explain you have help on the way and lock your doors to ensure you are safe. They may be a generous soul just looking to help, but you have to put your safety first and be cautious.
5) Often it is safest to stay in your vehicle, with your seatbelt buckled in case of impact. However, if your vehicle is smoking or it feels likely your car may be hit, it may be safest to very carefully exit your vehicle via the door furthest from the traffic. If this is necessary, move far away from your vehicle and any traffic, preferably behind a safety barrier if there is one. It is very dangerous to stay standing by your vehicle as you will be very vulnerable to any vehicles that collide with your car. Do not try to exit your vehicle if you will need to do so into moving traffic, and don’t try to cross lanes of traffic to get to safety. Remember, vehicles often travel faster than you would expect them to.
6) Ask the towing service operator for the name of the tow truck operator and plate number of their tow truck so that you know you are dealing with the right person when they arrive to help you. This just helps to prevent being taken advantage of by people other than the person you called.
7) Let a tow truck operator know if you have children in your vehicle. You may be considered a higher priority. If waiting in your vehicle, ensure children stay buckled into their seats to help keep them safe, and if waiting away from the car, keep hold of small children and consider calling a friend to collect them, assuming the friend could stop and reach them safely
8) If you choose to leave your vehicle and it is safe to do so, take your valuable possessions with you. You should take your cell phone with you so that you can remain in contact with the Evansville towing service, and take your purse or bag so as to prevent theft from your vehicle if it is left unattended. Once the tow truck arrives you do not want to have to re-access your vehicle to retrieve your valuables
9) If you choose to leave your vehicle and want to take your pet dog with you, ensure it is firmly secured to a dog lead or leash. The dog may become frightened by traffic or sirens passing, and the last thing you want is for it to struggle free from your arms and run into the traffic. Even if the dog is usually calm and reliable, these are unusual conditions and they make act unpredictably
10) Stay alert for what traffic is doing around you. Whether in or out of your vehicle, you are at more risk than usual when you break down, so stay alert to help keep yourself safe
To sum up:
We hope these tips have been helpful and have been useful for ensuring you stay safe if your vehicle suffers a breakdown on the road. However, remember, you are the best judge of your situation, so always use your own judgement when deciding how to best keep yourself safe while waiting for a tow truck in Evansville Indiana. |
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